Handbrake will convert DVDs to iPod-formatted movies but not the new 640x480 format. It will still do 320x240, 768kbps H.264 movies but to get the higher res files you'll need to do a 100% quality rip (MPEG-4, .mp4 format) and do an "Export Movie to iPod" conversion of that file in Quicktime Pro.

Similar to Chundles' instructions, I rip in good quality with Handbrake (as I like a nicer copy to watch on my mac) and compress down to iPod size with iSquint, which is fantastic. I then use Lostify to smarten all the tags up before popping them in iTunes.

iSquint doesn't yet support the new 640x480 resolution. Using QuickTime Pro has its own set of problems (depending on the codec, the audio be lost completely on conversion). But for 320x240, iSquint is the easiest, fastest and best solution.

I might be stealing this thread a bit, but I am looking for something similar to Instant Handbrake for the PC. I have a really fast computer at work and it would be great to use that instead of my computer that takes about 5 hrs to rip a DVD to iPod. I actually really like the size that Instant Handbrake does now because the files are small and perfect for watching on the iPod. If I want something bigger, I would just watch directly from my DVD.

anyone have a suggestion? I tried AVS DVDtoGO, seemed to work ok, but I don't feel like dishing out the $25 just yet. I want to see if maybe there are some better options. I like going directly from DVD to iPod, I don't want to first rip to the computer, then convert to the iPod format.

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